Who Should Replace Andy Rooney?

by MOSHE PHILLIPSOctober 4, 2011

CBS News and the producers of Sixty Minutes have a unique opportunity to add a bold new voice to network television with the retirement of Andy Rooney and at the same time change the popular view of network TV as a bastion of leftist bias.

In 2002 Rooney remarked in an interview with CNN’s Larry King that "There is just no question that I, among others, have a liberal bias. I mean, I'm consistently liberal in my opinions."

Now CBS can hire a different kind of a commentator to replace Rooney.

A person from outside the mainstream media who has a strong on air presence and an individual style would go a long way in helping the network show it wants to be even-handed.

If they care.

Larry Miller would be an out-of-the-box choice for CBS – but a very smart choice.

Miller first gained the public’s attention in a small part opposite Julia Roberts in her star making 1990 performance in Pretty Woman. He also had memorable parts in The Nutty Professor and The Princess Diaries as well as in each of the sequels to those movies. He has long worked on TV as well.

In May 2005 Comedy Central named him one of the 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comedy Performers of All Time.

Miller has worked as a political columnist as well.

In April 2002 Miller penned an essay titled “Whosoever Blesses Them: The intifada and its defenders” for The Weekly Standard that went viral and by mistake was almost always credited to Dennis Miller.

Here’s a key excerpt that shows just how witty and independent-thinking Larry Miller can be:

The Palestinians want their own country. There's just one thing about that: There are no Palestinians. It's a made up word. Israel was called Palestine for two thousand years. Like "Wiccan," "Palestinian" sounds ancient but is really a modern invention. Before the Israelis won the land in war, Gaza was owned by Egypt, and there were no "Palestinians" then, and the West Bank was owned by Jordan, and there were no "Palestinians" then. As soon as the Jews took over and started growing oranges as big as basketballs, what do you know, say hello to the "Palestinians," weeping for their deep bond with their lost "land" and "nation." So for the sake of honesty, let's not use the word "Palestinian" any more to describe these delightful folks, who dance for joy at our deaths until someone points out they're being taped.

Miller wrote for The Weekly Standard from 2002 through 2007 and dozens of his columns are still archived on their website. William Kristol and Fred Barnes were lucky to have him on board for five years. CBS would be lucky to have Larry Miller too.

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